Designer Cindy Kutikova on translating her ideas into a visual language

Graphic designer Cindy Kutikova approaches every project as a “challenge to discover something new”. Based in Prague and currently studying at The Academy of Art, Architecture and Design (UMPRUM), Cindy has the opportunity to explore her interests in history and contemporary design through various projects including brand identities, poster design and websites.

“Because I’m still a student, the core of my work is school projects, which can be fully implemented and realised. I like these projects because when you work within the school environment, you can work more freely, take risks and experiment. I don’t have any restrictions from a client,” explains Cindy.

Typography is a key part of every project but it often comes after the designer has fleshed out the concept. “It’s not like that all the time though. Sometimes I have a clear vision of what type I’m going to be using from the start. It all depends on the theme and context,” she explains. Cindy has been working with fellow designer Jiri Mocek on “several visual styles” which see the pair create posters and festival identities that are bright, bold and experimental.

Another recent project Cindy is still working on is the digitisation of a book by Czech graphic designer Ladislav Sutnur from the 1950s. “The output is an interactive webpage, which isn’t complete yet. I see potential in this project because books which have come out in limited prints or are very rare can be made available to the project with this idea,” says Cindy.

As her work develops, Cindy is keen to keep the principles of design at the heart of what she does. “I’m trying to transform the core of the assignment into a visual language,” the designer explains. “I care about a clear and coherent transfer of the thought and idea. I’m trying to point out and shed light on the very essence of things.”

Every month, ten people descend upon a basement studio in Dublin’s historic Merrion Square. The streets are lined with grand Georgian houses and pristine iron gates protect a well-kept public park. Each person is there to attend a two-day workshop organised by a tenaciously talented Welsh woman in order to learn how to make film props.

Earlier this year fashion icon Alexa Chung had her many fans reeling with the news of her own label. The campaign saw the model, muse, presenter and writer put her trend-spotting taste to use in creating her own collection. Such an exciting move from Alexa had to look slick and playful in every aspect, from the clothes to the branding, which was created by Studio Frith.

“‘Does it have to be readable?’ is a main theme in a lot of my work,” says Icelandic-born and Berlin-based graphic designer Greta Thorkels. This approach to design isn’t a usual one, but by turning design on its head Greta is carving her own eclectic graphic path.

Afrika is a design studio based in Switzerland, founded by Florian Jakober and Michael Zehnder. The studio works on a variety of projects, most recently finding itself designing custom typefaces for other studios and agencies. “It’s nice to have clients that understand as much about typography as we do. This way of working also allows us to work in bigger teams and learn a lot from everybody,” says Afrika.

If you go down to Highgate Woods in London today, you might be in for a bit of a surprise. Among the dog walkers, the frazzled parents searching for their kids and the forestry workers making sure that the ancient woodland is being preserved, you might, if you look carefully, find one of the most prolific artists and illustrators working in the UK. Highgate Woods, all 28 hectares of it, is Noma Bar’s ‘office’. Everyday, come rain or shine, the graphic artist is there, somewhere, armed with his notebooks and pens, working through ideas that will appear in their final forms in newspapers, magazines, as part of a campaign or a gallery.

Inspired by “wrong” design and a fondness for “flaws and errors”, aptly named Wrong Studio has been championing well-executed typography and graphic expertise by adding a twist of their own signature style. The studio was founded in 2013 by two colleagues, Andreas Peitersen and Jess Andersen, who decided it was time to steer things in a more personal direction. Since its launch, the duo have dabbled in various projects with a close-knit and collaborative ethos. We spoke to Andreas to find out more about some of its most studio-defining projects.